HAMPTON ROADS, Va. (March 21, 2012) – The Tidewater Community College Computer Club has been named a 2012 Honors Laureate by the Computerworld Honors Program.
For more than two decades, the Computerworld Honors Program has recognized individuals and organizations that create and use information technology to promote and advance public welfare, contribute to the greater good of society and change the world for the better. This was an especially competitive year in selecting the prestigious honors.

“We are proud of the TCC computer club for achieving this noteworthy distinction among such an elite and worthy field of competitors in the Computerworld Honors Laureate program,” said Peter A. Spina, interim president of Tidewater Community College. “This award is a credit and a testimony to the diligent and rewarding work of Professor Gary Noah and his students in the Computer Club.”

Through TCC’s Computers for Students Success program, club members rehabilitate and update older or in need-of repair PCs and laptops donated by companies and individuals and get them into the hands of deserving students. More than 1,700 computers have been refurbished to date. The group also has given re-worked units to elementary school students’ families, college students from other schools, high school students attending classes at the Advanced Technology Center, Portsmouth Social Services’ Employment Services for their clients seeking work and has assisted a woman’s shelter in setting up two computer areas for adults and children.

More than 500 entries from over 25 countries compete in 10 categories. A panel of 22 distinguished judges – many of them Computerworld Premier 100 IT Honorees from diverse industries – evaluates the humanitarian efforts and measurable results of applying technology to meet a specific social need.

The TCC Computer Club finished in the top 20 of the Digital Access Category that features competitors including Microsoft Corp., Skype and Stanford University’s Education Program for Gifted Youth.

“The club members are the heart of this program,” said Noah, a professor in information systems technology who is the faculty advisor to the TCC club. “They come because they like to work with computers, and this gives them a chance to learn and get hands-on experience. Club members have refurbished over 1,700 computers in 27 months.”

All 2012 Laureates will be recognized at a black tie reception in Washington, D.C., on June 4. Each Laureate will receive a medallion inscribed with the program’s mission, “A Search for New Heroes.” Five Laureates from each of the 10 Honors categories will be named finalists for a 21st Century Achievement Award. One finalist in each category will be named a 21st Century Achievement Award winner.

The TCC club also took home a prestigious state award presented at the Virginia Community Colleges’ Student Leadership Conference in November. Student leaders from the 23 community colleges across the Commonwealth gathered to share projects and celebrate successes. For its unique computer giveaway program, TCC’s Computers for Student Success won the Innovative Student Service Award.

About the Computerworld Honors Program

Established by the International Data Group in 1988, the Computerworld Honors Program brings together the men, women, organizations and institutions around the world whose visionary applications of information technology promote positive social, economic and educational change. Previous 21st Century Achievement Award winners include IBM, UCLA, Purdue University and the National Cancer Institute. Additional information about the program can be found at the Computerworld Honors Program website, http://events.computerworld.com/2012Honors

Tidewater Community College - the largest provider of higher education and Workforce Solutions services in Hampton Roads - served more than 46,000 students in 2010-11. The 16th highest associate-degree producer in the nation, TCC offers more than 150 programs including business administration, culinary arts, general studies, modeling and simulation, network security, nursing, and automotive technology. Among the fastest-growing two-year institutions in the United States, TCC was founded in 1968 as a part of the Virginia Community College System. The college serves the South Hampton Roads region with campuses in Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach as well as the TCC Jeanne and George Roper Performing Arts Center in Norfolk’s theater district, the Visual Arts Center in Olde Towne Portsmouth, the Regional Automotive Center in Chesapeake, and the Regional Health Professions Center and the Advanced Technology Center in Virginia Beach, as well as the Regional Workforce Solutions Center in Suffolk. Forty-five percent of the region’s residents attending a college or university in Virginia last fall were enrolled at TCC. For more information, visit www.tcc.edu.